R2-D2: Beneath the Dome
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome is a 2001 American mockumentary short, directed by Don Bies and Spencer Susser, starring Kenny Baker as R2-D2 in a fictionalized life story of the robot from the Star Wars film series. The film, which was made as a fun project by the cast and crew of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, features celebrity interviews, fake archive photos, film clips, and behind the scenes footage. Story The film is narrated in a tongue-in-cheek E! True Hollywood Story style, giving the ups and downs of Artoo's life, from his humble upbringings in England to his successful life as an actor. The mockumentary achieves this by using interviews by those who "know" him, such as: George Lucas, Ewan McGregor, Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Richard Dreyfuss (who believes Artoo to be "a schmuck"), Samuel L. Jackson, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Bitsie Tulloch and more. It introduces his human "family," complete with a brother and a sister. His birth name, "Reginald Dillingham," was changed for showbiz. Lucas met R2 attending college at the University of Arizona working as an ashcan. As it is revealed, Star Wars wasn’t his first role, as he had had many leading parts in plays and movies throughout the 1960s. R2 was originally envisioned by Coppola to play Michael Corleone in the 1972 film The Godfather, however, the studio didn't see it and the part went to Al Pacino. He is shown to be quite the ladies man, with plenty of bikini-clad women riding in his limo. R2 is said to have a human girlfriend who fears she might be pregnant. After the success of Return of the Jedi, the shortage of new work sends him into a depression in the 1980s. He goes so far down the spiral, and in an attempt to prove his worthiness, he bungee jumps and is nearly killed when the cord breaks. In 1998, his career then is reinvigorated when asked by George Lucas to do Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Inspiration The idea for this mockumentary was originally proposed by Don Bies, ILM Modelmaker and lead of the R2 production unit. George Lucas later gave the project his OK, as he has many times proclaimed that R2 is his favorite character, and he knew the fans could appreciate the joke. R2-D2: Beneath the Dome continues in the footsteps of Return of the Ewok, a similar fun film made by the cast and crew during the filming of Return of the Jedi in 1982. Cast Original release This mockumentary was originally made available, beginning on November 25, 2001 in the US on FOX. Internationally, it was released on the same day on starwars.com as three web featurettes as part of the lead up to the release of Episode II. It debuted first as a trailer accompanying the Thanksgiving television airing of Episode I, and then in three weekly installments on US TV and through the Internet. It is still currently available under the Episode II section on the website. A trailer was released for it on the FOX channel not long before its premiere on US TV and on the site. This trailer was later put as a special feature on the Episode II DVD to in turn promote the low-profile release of the mockumentary itself on DVD. DVD Release The film was released as a Region 1 DVD on December 26, 2002, containing all three segments that were originally aired on US TV and on Starwars.com, plus the ending credits and an easter egg of photos of Artoo. The DVD was a low-profile, non-advertised release. It was made available exclusively at Best Buy and Musicland stores, which includes Suncoast Motion Picture Company, Media Play and Sam Goody outlets. DVD Easter Eggs On the 2002 DVD, there is a hidden bonus that is easy to access on the main menu. On the main menu that looks like a newspaper about Artoo, moving to the top selection and pressing the right button on the DVD remote will illuminate a blue shape inside Artoo’s dome. This allows the viewer access to a gallery of R2-D2 Star Wars production photos. External links * Category:Star Wars Category:Films Category:Documentaries Category:2000s films Category:Media